In A Heartbeat
by Resotii
Summary: Despite their long history as a couple, Nico and Maki were never really very close but a early morning phone call of distress changes their lives forever. NicoMaki one-shot. Rated M for references to suicide, self-harm and other adult themes. [Updated with some significant changes on 2/10/19]


In a heartbeat

NicoMaki one-shot by resotii

A/N: This story is not intended for younger audiences.

It was silent as a mouse in the Yazawa resident until the sound of Nico's ringtone sliced through it like a butcher knife. With a groan of inaudible gibberish, Nico snatched her phone from her bedside table and managed to tap the answer call button without opening her eyes.

Bringing the phone to her ear, she asked grumpily. "Who the hell is this?"

"Oh, Nico…!" Breathed the person on the phone. "…I'm so glad you answered your phone."

Nico instantly regretted answering her phone so coldly. It was her girlfriend, Maki, and even though Nico was still half asleep, she registered right away that something was wrong.

Springing into an upright position, Nico's eyes shot open. Positioning her phone to her ear more securely, she questioned earnestly. "Maki, what's wrong?"

"C...Ca.. Can you come over?" Maki replied, choking on her words. "I ne...ed you des...desperately right now."

Nico didn't press for details. She glanced at her alarm clock, her vision was incredibly blurry but she could make out that the alarm clock display said 1:58AM. It was so early that the sun still hadn't graced the earth with its presence yet. Nico's room was pitch black aside from the dim blue light illuminating from her alarm clock.

Without hesitation, she said. "I'll be right over."

There was a subtle but noticeable hopeless squeak from the other end and then the line went dead.

This made Nico's heart drop. She had never heard Maki get like this before. She was usually so strong-willed and never let anyone see her vulnerable side, especially Nico. Nico quickly pulled on some shoes and quickly tied up her hair into her signature pigtails, it was a habit at this point. But she wasn't going to bother to change out of her pajamas. Throwing on her purse, she rushed out of her house and into her car. Besides, it was 2AM after all. It's not like anyone would see her, not that she would care because all that mattered to her right now was getting to Maki's house as soon as humanly possible.

Upon arriving at Maki's house, Nico instantly made a grab for the door knob and was surprised to see that it was unlocked. Nico's eyes widened in horror the moment she laid eyes on Maki. She was sitting on the floor, struggling to keep herself in an upright position. Her face had a deep gash, blood rushing from it. It looked fresh too. As if this wasn't bad enough, she had a similar wound on her shoulder, which was dangerously close to her neck. Upon closer inspection, Nico noticed that Maki had a knife beside her, only inches away.

For a second, Nico's legs stopped working. She was frozen in place. But once Maki noticed her and Nico saw the look of hopelessness in her eyes, she leaped towards Maki.

"Maki, w-what have you done!?" Nico screamed, desperately fighting the urge to cry and stay strong for Maki's sake.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm just so lost without him." Maki choked out, her voice sounded incredibly weak.

She was talking about her grandfather. He had passed away a few weeks ago and everyone had known about it. She had told everyone during their monthly get together but was very nonchalant even though everyone could tell by her body language that losing her grandfather tore her apart. She always twirled her hair when she was unsure of herself. No one thought much about it because she still had her playful, sarcastic personality but apparently she was doing a great job to overshadow her negative feelings. Maki had been incredibly close to her grandfather. He was the one who had taught her how to play the piano and also was a huge reason she had such a immense love for music.

"I…wanted to die…" Maki said breaking the cold silence, her whole body shaking with grief.

Hearing Maki say this made Nico lose it. Her eyes filled with tears and she sank to her knees. All she could manage to say was, "Maki..."

"Oh, god, Maki..." Nico whispered. She just couldn't hold back her heartbreak anymore.

She threw her arms around Maki, doing her best to be delicate due to Maki's condition. Maki wrapped her arms around Nico as if her life depended on it, crying into her shoulder. The scent of blood was overpowering but Nico didn't care.

"I wanted to die…" Maki repeated and in a softer voice, she added. "But then I thought of you."

Nico was touched by these words, tightening her embrace with Maki.

"We... We need to get you to the hospital..." Nico was hysterical. She definitely was in no condition to drive.

Without so much as a second thought, she pulled out her phone and dialed Nozomi's number. It rang a few times but after the third ring, Nozomi's voice was on the line.

She sounded a little tired but still relatively alert. "Nico? Is everything okay?"

It's like Nozomi knew that something wasn't quite right.

"Please, Nozomi... I need your help. Maki could...!" Nico sobbed into the phone, not being able to bring herself to finish her sentence.

"Nico, what the hell happened?!" Nozomi's tone was laced with urgency.

"Please just come over. She's lost a lot of blood... I..I don't know what to do!"

"Stay _right_ where you are. Elicchi and I are on our way right now."

Nozomi and Eli got to Maki's place so fast it was almost like magic but it might have felt this way to Nico since she was so focused on making sure that Maki was still breathing. She had finally stopped crying which left her extremely exhausted but now she could barely open her eyes. It didn't help that she was still losing a lot of blood. It's a good thing that Nico always kept spare hair ribbons in her purse. She was using them as bandages to help suppress Maki's bleeding but the blood was still coming through effortlessly.

As soon as they got there, just one look at Maki and Eli started sobbing immensely. "Oh my god...!" She uttered under her breath, completely horrified.

Nozomi, on the other hand was speechless with shock. She didn't even realize that she had grabbed hold of Eli's hand, gripping it like Eli was hanging on to the edge of a cliff for dear life and if Nozomi let go Eli would fall to her death. Death. That word lingered in the air like a foul-smelling stench that was impossible to get rid of.

Eli wasn't bothered at all by Nozomi holding her hand so tightly. She was too traumatized by Maki's current state. Maki always gave off a strong and confident essence which is a big reason that Nico ended up falling in love with her. Of course, Nico would never admit this to anyone. But right now, fighting to keep her eyes open, Maki looked like a completely different person.

Eli was beginning to hyperventilate in an attempt to stay calm. Nozomi sensed how terrified she was and leaning towards her, she said consolingly. "Elicchi..."

Her voice was soothing despite the fact she was just as scared as Nico and Eli were.

Eli took a deep breath and managed to give Nozomi a weak smile. "You're right. I need to stay strong. Maki's life depends on it." She said urgently, taking out her car keys from her coat pocket.

Nico and Nozomi teamed up to help Maki to her feet. Maki was a petite girl but she was becoming limp from how exhausted and this made her seem heavier. When they got Maki to her feet, it was hard to hear but Nico could easily tell she said her name.

"I'm here..." Nico exclaimed desperately, tears coming into her eyes but she blinked them away quickly. "I'm here."

Nozomi could see how much this situation was destroying Nico. She couldn't stand to see Maki in such bad shape. Despite their constant bickering, Nico truly cared about Maki.

Nozomi watched as Nico delicately brushed away Maki's bangs to plant a tender kiss on her forehead. "You're going to be okay. I promise." She told her softly.

It was touching to see Nico's reassuring side especially considering the fact that everyone always thought that Maki was the older one of the two when they would go out together despite the fact that Nico was two years older than Maki. Moreover, Nozomi could have sworn she heard Maki let out a subtle, relieved sigh. It was very brief, but Nozomi knew she hadn't imagined it.

Eli rushed to the hospital as fast as she could without breaking any speed limits or running any red lights. As soon as they entered the doors of the emergency room, the receptionist was alert right away. It was as if she sensed that Maki was in very critical condition. It helped that this hospital was a branch to the Nishikino family so she recognized Maki despite her wounds, messy hair and ghost-like pale skin.

"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed as she rushed over to get a better look at her. "What in humanity happened!?"

Nico opened her mouth to explain the situation but words were failing her. It was like she had completely forgotten how to talk.

Nozomi gave her a consoling nudge which was enough to help Nico ease up a bit. Taking a deep breath, she stated. "She... She tried to kill herself."

"...My god." The receptionist said in almost a whisper, covering her mouth with one of her palms. Tears were starting to flood into her eyes.

"Please... she's already lost so much blood..." Eli stammered, on the verge of a breakdown herself.

Without a word, she rushed back to her desk and dialed a number into her phone. As if by magic, two paramedics came rushing out from the ER operating room double doors, pushing a gurney like their lives depended on it.

After this it was all a blur, they simultaneously but delicately grabbed Maki by her under arms and carefully placed her on the gurney. They were on their way back into the ER operating room almost in the blink of an eye.

Nico made an attempt to follow them but Eli and Nozomi instinctively pulled her back but this didn't stop Nico from fighting to free herself from their grip.

"LET GO OF ME!" She screamed, causing people in the waiting room to stare in bewilderment. "MA...MAKI NEEDS ME!" And with a defeated whimper, she repeated more softly but bursting with devastation. "... She needs me...!"

It was taking every ounce of their strength for Nozomi and Eli not to lose it too. They knew all too well that they needed to be strong for Nico's sake. She needed their support more than anything right now. Nico may be the second oldest of the three of them despite the fact they were technically the same age, but she was in an incredibly vulnerable place right now. The last thing they wanted to do was make it worse.

All they could do was wait. Nico was so shaken up that she was shivering. Nozomi and Eli were doing their best to comfort her but Nico was just too upset that it was somewhat of a lost cause. Nico was putting all her concentration into preventing herself from crying. She hated crying. She believed it made her come across as a weak person. Her girlfriend could die and she felt responsible because she never even noticed how much Maki was hurting over the loss of her grandfather. As her girlfriend, she felt that it was her job to notice.

Nico's dad had passed away but she was only two years old, much too young to understand. Her mother had told her that her father had went on a trip that he would never be coming home from. Nico remembered crying for days over being told this but it was honestly quite easy for her to accept her father's death. She wasn't heartless. She loved her dad but she was much too young to develop a deep connection with her father. All she could really remember is him singing her a lullaby every night to help her get to sleep. It was sort of the reason she came up with her "Nico Nico Nii" persona; it was her subtle way of paying tribute to him. Maki's grandfather made a huge impact on her life. It's no surprise that his death would be extremely hard on her.

It seemed like days had gone by but finally the low chime that indicated that someone was coming out of the ER went off. It was a tall, lean doctor who looked to be slightly older than them. His expression was hard to read. As he walked over to them, he ran his hands through his slicked black hair. Nico jumped up immediately, causing Nozomi and Eli to fall forward because they had started to doze off.

Nico cleared her throat and self consciously tried to make herself look taller. She was 24 now but still had the body of an 18 year old. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing but it made her look like a fool when she would visit adult only places. It was not fun for people to assume that Maki was her aunt or mother.

The doctor smiled at Nico's effort and clearing his throat as well, he said. "Hi there, I'm Doctor Kiyoshima. Your girlfriend, Maki is making a speedy recovery. She wants to see you."

It felt like a weight had been lifted off Nico's shoulder. She couldn't help smiling from ear to ear, saying hopefully. "Okay."

Dr. Kiyoshima beckoned for Nico to follow him and Nico was so relieved to finally see Maki that she couldn't help walking happily. Nozomi and Eli exchanged amused glances. It was nice to see Nico acting like her upbeat self again.

Nico stopped mid step and turned around towards them. "You guys coming?"

"Nah, you go ahead." Eli answered with a wink.

"Yeah, you and Maki should have some alone time..." Nozomi added, her teasing nature back and better than ever.

Nico suddenly turned so red that she looked like she was going to pass out from a heat stroke. Nozomi still got a kick out of constantly teasing Nico, especially when it came to her relationship with Maki.

Doctor Kiyoshima chuckled at this exchange which made Nico feel even more embarrassed.

"Nooozomi..." Nico said through her teeth.

Nozomi giggled, clearly satisfied that she could still get to Nico like this even in their adult years.

Eli gave Nozomi's hand a squeeze and said. "We should get going."

Nozomi gave her a nod and as they stood up to leave, she gave Nico a smug wink and said. "Good luck, Nicocchi..."

"J-just get out of here!" Nico piped.

Nozomi and Eli laughed and started heading towards the exit, Eli putting her arm around Nozomi's shoulder, nuzzling against her slightly.

"Your friends are quite funny." Dr. Kiyoshima said with another laugh when they were out of earshot.

"Yeah, they're _hilarious_..." Nico told him sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

He laughed again, making a hand motion for Nico to follow him and he didn't say anything more about Nozomi and Eli's antics. He used his card key to open Maki's hospital room door and gave Nico a gentle push into the room with a welcoming nod.

"Thanks." Nico said, her face turning red all over again.

"Don't mention it." Dr. Kiyoshima told her quietly with an encouraging wink. "Take all the time you need."

Nico watched him walk away and then she said under her breath. "Oh, geez. Not him, too."

Breathing deeply, she walked over to Maki's bed. Maki was awake and reading a novel. Nico was super quiet but Maki noticed her presence before she even had the chance to greet her.

"Hey, Nico..." She said, a hint of sentimentality in her voice.

"H-hey..." Nico was suddenly feeling super shy.

"What's up with you?" Maki replied, sounding like she was about to laugh. "You realize we've been dating for five years now and you're still a shy idiot?"

"Shut up." Nico said quickly, sitting in the chair next to Maki's bed. There was a silence between them but then Nico stood up and threw her arms around Maki and exclaimed in an extremely concerned tone. "Don't ever scare me like that again!"

"I'm sorry." Maki told her softly, holding Nico close.

Nico brought Maki to arm's length. "You may get on my every last nerve but... I love you. Don't ever forget that."

"I...love you too, Nico."

Nico pressed her lips to Maki's without any hesitation at all. Maki wrapped her arms around Nico's neck, deepening the kiss. Nico held her tightly, showing Maki how much she meant to her through some very intimate body language. Maki let out an appreciative moan which admittedly turned Nico on a bit. You never would have guessed Maki was on the verge of death merely hours ago. Nico loved that she could make Maki moan like this but she knew very well that this was not the appropriate place for this kind of behavior.

Nico reluctantly pulled away from Maki and told her in almost a whisper, completely breathless. "I don't want to lose my wife..."

"Your wife...?" Maki whispered back, having a hard time catching her breath as well.

Nico backed up hastily, patting her outfit nervously. "I meant g-g-girlfriend. That's _obviously_ what I said. You've been asleep so you must be hearing things wrong!"

"Nico..." Maki said sternly, giving Nico her signature "you're not fooling anyone" glare.

Seriously, Maki's gorgeous purple eyes had supernatural powers.

Nico heaved a defeated sigh. "Okay, fine. The thing is..." Nico drifted off as she reached for something in her coat pocket. She pulled out a small, violet box and held it out towards Maki.

"What's that?" Maki asked, pretending to be confused just to annoy Nico.

"Never mind." Nico huffed, shoving the box back into her pocket.

"Nico, I'm kidding." Maki smiled which followed with one of her adorable laughs.

A smile crossed Nico's lips again and she pulled out the box, gathered her courage, she said. "The thing is... I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time."

Maki's eyes started sparkling as tears filled them yet again but this time around, they were evoked from happiness. Seeing Maki smile again made Nico feel exceptionally less nervous.

Nico leaned towards Maki so that she was looking her directly in her perfect, purple eyes. "Will you marry me, Maki?"

Tears started rolling down Maki's face as she nodded vigorously and exclaimed. "Yes...!" Maki sat up and pulled Nico into a hug and said. "I thought you'd never ask..." Pulling away, she said jokingly. "You have horrible timing. And exactly how long have you had that ring box in your pocket, anyway?"

"Oh, be quiet." Nico replied with an indigniant pout.

Maki gave Nico a quick, loving peck on her lips and said. "I'd be _honored_ to be your wife, dorkzilla."

Nico lost her stubborn demeanor instantly, her lip quivering. She didn't even mind that Maki called her "dorkzilla". Maki just smiled at her in adoration and this was enough for Nico to start blubbering like a baby. "I'm...I'm so happy you want to m-m-marry me."

"C'mon..." Maki said consoling, wiping away Nico's tears. "Don't you think we've done enough crying for one day...?"

Nico slowly reached up with both hands to cradle Maki's hand, caressing them lovingly, she said. "Yeah, you're right..." And with a teasing scoff, she added. "For once."

"Hey..." Maki replied, pretending to be super offended. "You never pass up an opportunity to insult me, do you?"

"Nico Nico Nope..." Nico replied in a proud matter-of-fact way, which prompted another sarcastic laugh from Maki.

Nico would never get tired of Maki's signature laugh, it was always the highlight of her day. She went out of her way to make Maki laugh. It's why she was always teasing her. Maki's sarcasm was one of her best qualities in Nico's eyes.

A few days had passed after Nico's proposal and the weather was warming up dramatically despite the fact that it was still late February. Nozomi had sent out a group text telling everyone to meet up at the shrine around 8am because she had some important news.

It was easy to tell from her text message that she absolutely dying to tell them her great news and Eli, being terrible with secrets was apparently having an extremely difficult time not spilling the beans. Nozomi even went to the lengths of hiding Eli's phone so she wouldn't tell everyone their news in the group text. Nico naturally was a little taken aback because she had also planned to tell everyone about her engagement with Maki. Nozomi always tended to unintentionally one-up Nico.

Everyone finally met up with Nozomi and Eli at the shrine. Nozomi was literally jumping up and down with excitement, her fingers intertwined with Eli's. Eli had a huge smile on her face as well and she looked like she was going to start sobbing tears of joy.

"So… are you guys just going to stand around smiling like idiots or are you gonna tell us your news?" Umi finally said a little too bluntly.

She looked like she had just woke up and they knew all too well how grumpy she got when her sleep was interrupted.

"Umi…" Kotori told her with amusement in her voice, giving her a playful nudge.

Umi sighed, immediately feeling bad for her rudeness. "Sorry. I'm tired."

"It's fine." Eli said with an understanding smile, giving Nozomi's hand a tender squeeze. "We'll be quick." She added, nodding towards Nozomi.

"Elicchi and I…" Nozomi said, taking a well-deserved deep breath.

"…are going to have a baby!" Eli finished, so relieved to finally say it.

Hanayo gasped loudly and throwing her arms around Rin, she exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Congratulations, you two!"

"Kayo-chin, it feels like you're congratulating _me_ , not Nozomi and Eli!" Rin's voice was almost drowned out due to the fact she was overcome with laughter.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" Hanayo shouted, stepping away from Rin, embarrassment written all over her face. And then in a super soft voice, she said. "I…I guess I got carried away."

"No worries. You're always adorable, nya…!" Rin squealed, bringing Hanayo back into an embrace and kissing her cheek affectionately. "My wifey!"

"Rin!" Hanayo giggled.

"Get a room, you two." Honoka joked, even though she and Tsubasa were all over each other.

Honoka had her arms wrapped around Tsubasa's arm, nuzzling against her.

"Oh, please, like you have any place to talk." Umi scoffed, rolling her eyes at Honoka and Tsubasa's completely obvious public displays of affection.

They had just recently returned from their honeymoon and it looks like they still hadn't gotten all their romantic antics out of their system.

"Yeah, sorry. Guess I just want Honoka all to myself." Tsubasa said sheepishly.

"What else is new?" Maki pointed out, causing everyone else to erupt into fits of amusement.

"Good point." Tsubasa beamed proudly, kissing Honoka's hand smugly.

"I'm so excited for you guys!" Kotori exclaimed. "I can't wait to design some adorable baby clothes for your little one!"

Umi looked like she was going to pass out, it always made her hot and bothered when Kotori got super excited and Kotori had been giving Umi tons of hints about having their own little bundle of joy. She had already started to sketch baby clothes designs for their future kiddies. She was constantly thirsty for Umi's affections, especially when she'd come home from a hard day's work because Kotori knew she would be less likely to object if she's tired but then again, Umi was always a total pushover when it came to Kotori. Umi knew all too well that Kotori was probably going to bring up conceiving a baby yet again... in front of everyone.

"I'm totally looking forward to it, Kotori!" Nozomi was bubbling over with excitement.

Eli chuckled approvingly in response. "We can't wait."

Nico cleared her throat loudly, causing an awkward silence.

"Nico." Maki said bluntly. It was more of a surprised reaction though, she wasn't annoyed or irritated.

"Maki and I have some news as well." Nico said in an overly professional tone.

Umi breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't Nico's intention but Umi was glad that the topic of babies had been put to rest.

"What is it?" Honoka and Kotori said in unison.

They noticed this and started snickering like little girls.

"Maki and I are getting married." Nico announced, lifting up Maki's hand to show off her engagement ring, mostly in an attempt to put a stop to Honoka and Kotori's little giggling fest.

"...That's it?" Honoka questioned obliviously.

Memories of their first training trip came flooding back to Nico's mind as she exclaimed in annoyance. "Seriously!?"

Tsubasa stifled a laugh which earned her an angry glare from Nico.

"Sorry." Tsubasa said quickly.

She did not want to get on Nico's bad side. She may be small but she's scary when she's angry. Tsubasa knew this from experience. Back in high school, she unintentionally told Maki something flirtatious and Nico almost bit her head off. That was not fun.

"I'm so sorry, Nicocchi…" Nozomi said consoling. "I didn't mean to steal your thunder." She looked really upset, her eyes were even starting to water.

Nozomi was only weeks into her pregnancy but it apparently she was already starting to have mood swings. Eli patted her shoulder in a non-verbal consoling way. Nico had to admit, Eli was an amazing wife to Nozomi and as cheesy at it sounds, she was totally her knight in shining armor.

"I guess it's fine." Nico replied irritably and under her breath, she muttered. "It's not like I'm not used to it by now…"

"C'mon, Nico, don't be like that." Maki teased in almost a whisper, so close that her breath tickled Nico's neck, sending an orgasmic shiver down her spine.

Nico had a sudden urge to blurt out 'Maki, take me now!' but instead she said. "M…Maki…!" All her anger evaporating on the spot. It was now replaced with arousal.

Maki always knew exactly what to say or do to turn Nico into a hot and bothered mess. Maki didn't have to say anything more. Her expression said it all. She had an extremely intimate look in her eyes that made Nico feel like she was falling in love with her for the first time. It was pretty obvious that Maki wanted Nico in her bed too. In that moment, Nico knew right away that she was the luckiest person in the universe to have someone like Maki in her life. She couldn't wait to refer to Maki as her wife. The word danced on her tongue in anticipation. She couldn't wait to introduce Maki as her wife at social gatherings.

"It's about damn time!" Eli exclaimed loudly, breaking Nico out of her Maki-as-her-wife fantasies and causing everyone else to jump. It didn't help that she sounded more high pitched than usual.

Eli wasn't the type to swear, not even when she's pissed off which is honestly very rare, so this was another reason everyone was so surprised by her outburst. She was so loud that other people who were visiting the shrine looked her way in bewilderment. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, an elderly man was looking at her with an expression that made it seem like Eli had just murdered someone right in front of him.

Eli covered her mouth shamefully and said timidly. "My bad…"

Nico and Maki shook their heads, amused by their former sub-unit leader's silliness. She may be one of the oldest members of the group but she was also incredibly absent-minded. It didn't help that Nozomi was trying her best not to laugh but it was easy to tell she was overwhelmed with a giggle fit.

"N-Nozomi, cut it out…!" Eli whispered desperately, nudging her with her entire body but all this did was cause her to give up and laugh out loud. "NOZOMI!"

"Classic Elichika…" Nico and Maki with the exact same playful tone.

Upon this realization, they glanced at each other with wide eyes only to look away stubbornly whilst simultaneously crossing their arms, blushes spreading across their faces like wildfire.

No matter how much time went by, guess some things just wouldn't ever change but Nico wasn't complaining. Even though they would be married soon, Nico knew all too well that Maki would never part with her I-could-care-less attitude but Nico wouldn't change a single thing. It made their relationship perfect.

The End


End file.
